Durham Dispatch

On the dawn of Martin Luther King Day and the first day of Trump's second term, Duke students with an emerging chapter of the Sunrise Movement at Duke University dropped a massive banner over Chapel Quad reading "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere #OurTimeToRise." We're living in a time of unparalleled crises happening all at once. Raging wildfires in Los Angeles, devastation across western North Carolina from Hurricane Helene, rapidly rising global temperatures, unimaginable wealth inequality, a broken healthcare system, as well as the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The upcoming Trump administration has already laid out its policy agenda through Project 2025. Its consequences on the climate, women and gender minorities, on people of color, and the working class cannot be underestimated. In 2024, the world experienced its hottest year on record, with global temperatures surpassing the 1.5°C threshold established by the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015. Every fraction of a degree beyond this point matters. The devastating impacts of 1.5°C warming are already unfolding across the globe, confronting us with a reality we can no longer ignore. The second iteration of the Trump administration will bring havoc and tragedy to the lives not only of those living within the United States but across the globe. The banner dropped by Sunrise Duke on January 20th read, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” The famous words were written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Letter from Birmingham Jail on April 16th, 1963. The message of these words is more important than ever. In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy and the robust history of student protest at this institution, we reject the notion propagated by Duke University that nonviolent protest and civil disobedience are not a part of free speech in our academic community. Direct attacks on our First Amendment rights to peaceful assembly are "a rejection and not an application of academic freedom" and a major failure on Duke's part "to uphold our commitment to civil discourse." The university honors the legacy of student protesters with exhibits in Perkins and Rubenstein libraries, yet creates large barriers for present-day, peaceful demonstrations that demand divestment from the Gaza genocide. It is with this understanding that Sunrise Duke decided to take nonviolent direct action and fight back against Trump and rising fascism. The right to nonviolent protest is a fundamental pillar of our democracy. Peaceful actions like those of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights movement, and student movements can be used today and over the next four years to achieve a just, livable future at the speed that science demands. As we organize toward a more just future for all, we must uphold the need for a multiracial, cross-class movement to defeat Big Oil, Trump, and fascism in order to achieve climate, racial, and economic justice. It is our time to rise together, and I believe that we will win.

Sound Rivers board president Catherine Kastleman, Neuse riverkeeper Samantha Krop and Haw riverkeeper Emily Sutton attended the Tuesday night meeting. Durham’s main library was packed on Tuesday night, November 21st, as residents turned up to find out more about Durham’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) update in the works. “It was very well-attended and informative,” said Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop. “It was a diversity of people and ages, with a lot of interest in Durham’s UDO, which is a pretty technical and obscure document, so it was really cool to see how many turned out to engage.” Representatives from the city’s planning department hosted the informational event and made a presentation about possible changes to the rules regulating development and reworking the zoning map, much of it based on the results of previous community surveying. “They identified that environmental concerns are one of the top concerns and priorities for Durham residents,” Samantha said. “So they’re considering how to update the rules to reflect that — for example, how many trees you need to leave on property being developed and how much impervious surface is allowed. They’re also adding conservation zoning areas to the zoning map.” Samantha said the city is attempting the align the UDO with Durham’s Comprehensive Plan that was rewritten in 2023. A comprehensive plan outlines how the city wants to grow and develop. “Durham’s Comprehensive Plan is a beautiful vision, and there’s a lot of goodness in the priorities lifted up for this UDO rewrite, from environment protection to walkable cities and affordable housing. Those are all good priorities,” Samantha said. “It’s just a matter of ensuring that the new rules are strong enough to honor those priorities and make sure that they happen.” The rewrite of the UDO is a two-year process that ends in 2025. “We have a standing action alert going to Durham city council members encouraging them to adopt stronger protection of waterways in the Unified Development Ordinance,” Samantha said. “If you want to engage in this process, we encourage you to write Durham’s council.” This article was published first by Sound Rivers.

CAUSE members organizing in front of RDU1 in Garner, North Carolina. Image credit: Deutsche Welle We hear stories all the time about unfair write ups and wrongful terminations from our coworkers, maybe you have experienced this yourself. A manager you’ve never met comes up to you to lecture you about making rate (maybe when you’re already doing them a favor by cross-training somewhere else), or the HR system glitches out. It has happened to everyone. But all of this would just be irritating if it didn’t mean people were being wrongfully terminated and then feel isolated and not sure how to fight a trillion dollar company. One RDU1 mom shared her son’s story with Voices of Empowerment about when he was wrongfully terminated while working at UPS. But unlike at Amazon, the difference was that the union had his back. His elected Union Representative got the write up thrown out, his job back and back pay for the time he missed from work. We need this at Amazon. You may have heard that North Carolina is an “at-will” employment state but what does this mean? Contrary to popular belief, this law does not ban unions or prevent you from joining one. At-will employment laws let your boss fire you at any time for any reason as long as it is not illegal (discrimination, retaliation, etc.). This lets your employer fire you even for what you would consider unfair reasons or for no reason at all. The only way we can change this dynamic is with a union and Just Cause Protections. Just Cause Protections means that when your boss disciplines or terminates you, they must do so for a just and fair reason, and they must have a union representative present to advise and advocate for you. It requires management fairly investigates, gives warnings before jumping to more serious discipline (like being fired), provide the employee with proof that they violated a reasonable rule, and treated them equally without discrimination. This is a major way a union at Amazon can make a difference in our lives. This article was first published by CAUSE (Newsletter Vol. 1, No. 12) .

CAUSE co-founder Mary "Ma Mary" Hill speaks at a rally. Image credit: CAUSE Editor's note: CAUSE is a nascent union at the Amazon RDU1 distribution center in Garner, NC. The text of this article comes from a recruitment flyer that CAUSE members hand out to their colleagues between shifts. You’re hearing a lot from Amazon about how well it treats you and why we do not need a union. But does Amazon really care about us? It’s a trillion dollar company, but it doesn’t pay us enough to live on. We get no Holiday Bonuses, or even full paid one hour break. There’s little paid time off, and Amazon forces us to work mandatory peak overtime. And we all know about the favoritism, discrimination, bad management and how Amazon treats us like throwaway robots. What is CAUSE? CAUSE stands for Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment. Amazon is flat-out lying when it says we’re an “external” group. We’re a homegrown, multicultural, worker-led effort run by and for RDU1 workers . The real “externals” are the Employee Relations managers that Amazon’s sending into RDU1 to trash talk the union and pretend that Amazon is your nice bestie instead of all about profits. How does CAUSE work? We believe in democracy. We hold regular elections for our president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer –and will continue to do so. Amazon is lying when it says CAUSE has a lot of money. Our leaders are dedicated worker-volunteers, not paid a penny. Everyone’s welcome to join CAUSE and to take a leadership role themselves. How does CAUSE win? We’ll be asking you to sign a “Union Authorization Card” stating your support for CAUSE. Your signature is totally confidentially, and Amazon is prohibited by law from seeing it. Once 30% of RDU1 workers sign, the National Labor Relations Board, the government agency overseeing union organizing, will hold an election at RDU1. The union will win if it receives more than 50% of the vote. Amazon will then be legally obligated to begin good faith negotiations with CAUSE for a fair contract for all RDU1 workers. What does CAUSE want? We’ll fight in bargaining with Amazon for essential changes including: 1) Higher pay 2) More PTO 3) A one hour paid lunch break 4) No discrimination on the basis of race, gender, language or anything else 5) Transparency about work rates 6) Fairness in promotions Will I have pay dues? No. Another Amazon lie. In North Carolina, workers are free to choose to be part of a union and pay dues or not. We hope workers will join CAUSE, but the contract we negotiate will benefit all workers regardless of whether they do so or not. We know the truth: Amazon treats us badly no matter how much they try to spin it. That will only change when we workers have a real voice. We need a union! More questions? Go to amazoncause.com or email us at amzncause@gmail.com . Want to join CAUSE? Click here . This article was first published by CAUSE .

CAUSE is a worker-led union at Amazon RDU1 in Garner, NC. Dog Care For Corporate But Not DayCare for Employees? There are many parents struggling to afford child care on the pay we make at Amazon. The median cost of child care for an 8 year old is $8,000 a year, according to the Department of Labor , and childcare becomes more critical in the summer months when school is out. This gets even more complicated around Prime day where there is Mandatory Extra Time and a freeze on vacation time. While we struggle to figure out child care, Amazon headquarters in Seattle has onsite doggy day care and dog park. If Amazon can afford such luxuries we should be able to afford child care , and have our own childcare provided. After all, is it asking too much for our children to get more attention than dogs? Who is "Employee Relations"? Amazon's Global Employee Relations exist to police us while we form a union. According to their website, "the Global Employee Relations team promotes, safeguards, and advocates for Amazon's positive direct relationship with all Amazonians". This "direct relationship" is the isolated relationship we have with the screens, surveys and message boards at Amazon. What they don't want is for us to come together in a union like CAUSE. They are in the building to try their best to talk us out of it. But why try to stop us? Forming a union is legal, in fact it is a protected right for workers. Forming a union is the only way for workers to have a seat at the table to tell the corporation what we deserve. Why is Amazon so invested that they pay people over $100,000, or in some cases over $3,000 a day , to try to convince us to be satisfied with $39,000? What other right do you have that your employer will hold classes and trainings persuade you not to use it? Imagine if a team was flown in to to tell you not to vote, or not practice your religion. That is what is happening to us because it is just as much as of our right to form a union as to vote. Do not fear your own rights and freedoms. Fight the fear, join CAUSE. CAUSE Demands : Higher pay: $30 per hour for all Tier 1 & 2 Associates Increased time off: 180 hours & paid sick leave Longer breaks: 1-hour paid lunch This article was first published by CAUSE .

By Felicia Wang, ShiftUS Campaign Damage from catastrophic flooding after Hurricane Helene ravaged Swannanoa. Image credit: New York Times. Asheville, North Carolina was once dubbed a "climate haven", a place to resettle to avoid climate disasters such as wildfires and coastal storms [ 1 ]. Hurricane Helene shattered that notion [ 2 ].  According to Moody’s Analytics , Hurricane Helene may have caused $15-26 billion in property damage and lowered economic output by $5-8 billion [ 3 ]. AccuWeather estimates of economic losses – including loss of life, health costs, extended power outages, and rebuilding infrastructure – have ranged between $95-250 billion [ 4 ][ 5 ]. The United States has a robust disaster relief system, and yet people will be reeling from the 2024 hurricanes for years. As many countries in the Global South do not have the wealth to cope with climate change, it's time for the wealthier countries to pay a fair share in compensating for losses and damages. Our Share of International Financial Compensation The entire UN Loss and Damage fund stands at $700 million per year, 0.2% of projected needs, with the U.S. contributing just $17.5 million [ 6 ]. Our contribution to global loss and damage funds is three orders of magnitude smaller than the cost of property damage from a single hurricane. Of course, loss and damage does not only include property damage. While there is no official UN definition, it is generally considered to include  damage to infrastructure, economic interruptions, loss of life, migration costs, and loss of culture [ 7 ]. The Fair Share Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) , led by the ShiftUS campaign , calls for the U.S. to develop both national reforms and international mechanisms to promote realistic loss and damage financing given our current climate disasters. Domestically, policies might include a climate damages tax proposal, the redirection of fossil subsidies and military spending, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reforms, all guided by a comprehensive National Loss and Damage Plan. The US also needs to develop compensation mechanisms such as disaster relief and recovery funds, insurance subsidies for those in high-risk areas, direct reimbursements for cultural losses, expanded healthcare infrastructure, debt cancellation in under-resourced climate-impacted communities, and a U.S. Environmental Damage Fund to restore the natural environment. On the international level, the fair share framework  calculates that the U.S. is responsible for $340 billion per year in adaptation and loss and damage starting in 2030, due to its historical emissions since 1950. Much of this financing would go to developing nations that lack financial capacity and emissions responsibility. Possible international funding mechanisms include reforming International Monetary Fund (IMF) Special Drawing Rights, frequent flier levies, and a global billionaire tax, as proposed by the Brazilian G20 presidency [ 8 ]. Rebuilding and Recovery Given the increased level of climate-induced natural disasters, we must rebuild in a way that adapts, emphasizes resilience, and minimizes emissions.  In Buncombe County, North Carolina, “a debris removal company estimates it will collect 100,000 cubic yards of trees and limbs ” in just one town [ 9 ]. To visualize, this quantity of waste would cover a football field “to a depth of up to 56 feet,” according to town manager Jonathan Kanipe — a burden that does not include washing machines, propane taxes, shattered houses, and other debris. Even though President Biden has approved a request from Governor Cooper to “ cover all of the costs of debris removal for the next six months,” there is no plan in place to do so [ 10 ]. It will be up to each town and county to figure out how to remove, store, and then dispose of all this trash, and many communities do not have such storage or moving capacity. Thus, the Fair Share NDC  calls for a National Zero Waste Plan by 2026 so that local, state, and federal governments can coordinate and preempt waste management needs, both in times of crisis and on the daily [ 8 ]. Hurricane Helene also destroyed much critical infrastructure, such as roads, power lines, and bridges [ 11 ]. Virginia Tech professor Manoochehr Shirzaei  notes that “Legacy systems, including levees, dams, bridges, roads, and electrical grids, were not originally designed to endure the growing severity of hurricanes exacerbated by climate change. As these structures deteriorate with time, their vulnerability to failure during extreme weather events increases” [ 12 ]. When we rebuild, we must promote resilience and greener infrastructure. The Fair Share NDC  calls for FEMA and NOAA to create climate resilient design guidelines that can be used by states [ 8 ]. In addition, it demands funding to support tree and urban forestry maintenance to reduce flood impacts. New requirements to minimize emissions, such as low carbon construction materials and passive heating and cooling mechanisms, are also necessary. North Carolina’s transportation sector can also be built back better through high speed rail between major cities, increased bus routes and light rail options, and more resilient roads and bridges. All of this must be coordinated in a National Adaptation Plan by 2027 to ensure that all communities are supported equitably in response to climate impacts. Such a plan must incorporate clear pathways for resilient infrastructure, safeguarded communities, metrics, and identification of protected ecosystems. In addition, the U.S. must contribute its fair share to international adaptation to finance developing nations’ efforts to develop sustainably as well. This is especially true for climate-vulnerable communities in the Global South who have negligible contributions to this crisis. Climate Mitigation Finally, any plan to address climate-induced disasters such as Hurricane Helene must address climate mitigation.  Our Fair Share NDC  mandates a fair, funded, feminist, and equitable fossil fuel phaseout by 2031 to avoid future disasters like Helene [ 8 ]. As hurricanes like Helene become the new normal, the US must acknowledge our new reality by writing an NDC that contributes its fair share to mitigating, adapting to, and compensating for the climate crisis. Work Cited Andreoni, Manuela. “‘Climate Havens’ Don’t Exist.” New York Times , 1 Oct. 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/10/01/climate/asheville-climate-change-flood.html . Harvey, Chelsea. “Hurricane Helene Signals the End of the ‘Climate Haven.’” Scientific American , 4 Oct. 2024, www.scientificamerican.com/article/hurricane-helene-signals-the-end-of-the-climate-haven . Jain, Saumya. “Moody’s Puts Total Property Damage From Hurricane Helene at $15-26 billion.” Reinsurancene.ws , 1 Oct. 2024, www.reinsurancene.ws/moodys-puts-total-property-damage-from-hurricane-helene-at-15-26bn . Danielle, Monica. “Helene Aftermath: More Than 130 Dead, Historic Flooding, Millions Without Power Amid Catastrophic Destruction.” AccuWeather , 30 Sept. 2024, www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane/helene-aftermath-more-than-130-dead-historic-flooding-millions-without-power-amid-catastrophic-destruction/1697545 . Ferrell, Jesse. “Helene Is 2nd-deadliest U.S. Hurricane in 50 Years, Could Cost $250 Billion.” AccuWeather , 4 Oct. 2024, www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane/helene-is-2nd-deadliest-u-s-hurricane-in-50-years-could-cost-250-billion/1698452 . Lakhani, Nina. “$700m Pledged to Loss and Damage Fund at Cop28 Covers Less Than 0.2% Needed.” The Guardian , 7 Dec. 2023, www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/06/700m-pledged-to-loss-and-damage-fund-cop28-covers-less-than-02-percent-needed . Bhandari, Preety. “What Is ‘Loss and Damage’ From Climate Change? 8 Key Questions, Answered.” World Resources Institute , www.wri.org/insights/loss-damage-climate-change . “United States of America, Fair Shares Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).” ShiftUS , 2024, static1.squarespace.com/static/66c61a66e866c037c6929221/t/6706af8ee961996942356b5b/1728491410044/Final+Fair+Share+NDC.pdf . Stradling, Richard. “Helene Creates Piles of Debris in Western NC That Foretell Long Cleanup Ahead.” The News and Observer , 6 Oct. 2024, www.newsobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article293445259.html . Wagner, Adam. “‘The Nation Has Your Back’ : Biden Joins Cooper for Helene Flyover, Promises Recovery Aid.” The News and Observer , 4 Oct. 2024, www.newsobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article293356544.html . Closson, Troy, and Christina Morales. “Missing People, Power Outages, Ruined Roads: Issues Across the Southeast After Helene.” New York Times , 5 Oct. 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/10/05/us/hurricane-helene-damage-deaths.html . “Expert: Climate Change, Aging Infrastructure, Human Decisions Feed Into Disasters Like Hurricane Helene.” Virginia Tech News , https://news.vt.edu/articles/2024/09/hurricane-helene-climate-infrastructure-disaster-expert.html .

Image credit: Facebook page of Durham Works Because We Do By Carl Hintz On October 22nd, 2024, the Durham Workers Assembly (DWA) met at Durham People’s Solidarity Hub. Twenty-four people were in attendance. The meeting started with time for attendees to socialize and share a dinner of chicken, rice and beans, green beans, and plantains. One of the strengths of the workers assembly model is that it brings together workers from different sectors. For example, restaurant workers, Amazon workers, retail workers, nurses, and public employees were there. Another strength of the workers assembly model is that in addition to the immediate concern of workplace labor organizing, the assembly creates a space for workers to learn about and discuss important issues of the day. The focus of the October 22nd meeting was how environmental concerns impact workers, such as the devastation from Hurricane Helene and the risk that dangerous heat poses. Both hurricanes and heatwaves are more severe because of climate change caused by burning coal, oil and gas. Several organizations provided updates on their labor org­anizing efforts. The newly-formed Durham Food and Bev­erage Workers United is organizing at various businesses in Southpoint shopping mall. REI Co-op workers are pushing for their first union contract in Durham. Amazon workers at RDU1 in Garner are engaged in a union card signing campaign. Once more than 30 percent of the workers at RDU1 sign a union authorization card, Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment ( CAUSE ) will be able to request a union election run by the National Labor Relations Board. Duke Respect Durham is engaged in a campaign to push Duke University to make payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) to the city of Durham. The payments would help meet essential needs such as funding for schools, affordable housing, transportation, and better pay for city workers. Durham Workers Assembly is affiliated with the South­ern Workers Assembly which is a network of local unions, worker organizations, and organizing committees. Partici­pat­ing individuals and organizations are brought together by the shared goal of building rank-and-file democratic unions in the U.S. South. Megan Shan, a REI Co-op worker, said that the Durham Workers Assembly was helpful to her co-workers’ efforts to unionize with UFCW and to fight unlawful retaliation. For example, worker assembly members showed up to picket lines during the May 2023 strike. Unfortunately, a worker who was wrongfully placed on administrative leave was later fired, and has yet to be reinstated. The strength of unions is proven in recent strikes. Com­munication Workers of America secured a 19 percent wage increase over the next five year contract which covers 17,000 AT&T workers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennes­see, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Florida, and Alabama [ 1 ]. The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) three-day strike at the start of October changed the United States Maritime Alliance’s tune. Before the strike, USMX was unyielding on the issue of wages and automation. ILA’s Octo­­ber strike will likely help to increase the concessions that USMX is forced to make to port workers when their extended contract ends on January 15, 2025. The October strike also demonstrated the power of organized workers in strategic sectors of the economy as billions of dollars of U.S. imports came to a halt on the first of October. Felicia Wang from Sunrise Movement Durham shared information about how Hurricane Helene has impacted workers. Applications for unemployment have spiked , particularly among hospitality industry workers in Western NC [ 2 ]. Hurricane Helene was especially destructive because of climate change. Increased rainfall and flooding is enabled by warmer air temperatures caused by burning coal, oil, and gas. Hurricanes strengthen more rapidly because of warmer ocean temperatures, also caused by greenhouse gas pollution. One factor that contributed to the landslides in Western NC was a period of low rainfall that preceded the storm. Droughts are now more frequent due to climate change. Rapid intensification of hurricanes make evacuation ef­forts more difficult and lead to a higher death toll. Addi­tion­ally, building codes fail to address the risks posed by climate-fueled extreme events such as hurricanes and heavy rainfall, leading to more death and destruction. One attendee shared how the extended loss of electricity was life-threatening for some folks with disabilities. Buried transmission lines, rooftop solar, and battery storage would help to improve resilience during disasters such as Hurricane Helene. We can expect similar disasters in the future with increased frequency and severity. Dante Strobino, from UE Local 150 , shared information about the proposed OSHA heat rule, “Heat Injury and Illness Pre­vention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings.” The OSHA heat rule is critical because of the number of workers ex­posed to dangerous heat both inside and outside in NC. Each year, workers die due to heat-related illnesses such as heat stroke. Unfortunately, there is no law or policy that protects workers against extreme heat. It is important for members of the public to make public comments in support of the proposed OSHA rule. Industry groups are likely to oppose the heat rule, just as industry groups opposed standards to ensure air quality that would prevent the spread of infectious disease in workplaces. The deadline for public comment on the proposed OSHA rule is December 30th, 2024. Please make a public comment before the deadline here . In addition to making public comments in support of the OSHA heat rule, workers and community members can help build the labor movement in NC by attending workers assembly meetings and by volunteering with labor organizing efforts such as those at RDU1 in Garner and at Southpoint shopping mall in Durham. This article was first published in Triangle Free Press . Work Cited “CWA Members Ratify Contracts With AT&T, Securing Raises Across Eleven States.” Communications Workers of America , 18 Oct. 2024, cwa-union.org/news/releases/cwa-members-ratify-contracts-att-securing-raises-across-eleven-states . Craver, Richard. “Helene-related Weekly Unemployment Claims Surge 290% in NC.” Journal Now , 10 Oct. 2024, journalnow.com/news/local/business/employment/helene-related-new-weekly-unemployment-claims-surge-290-in-nc/article_78d7b546-8731-11ef-88ab-b306287eed73.html .

Left to right: Heather Brewer (DSOHF), Karen Burkes (DSOHF Director), Senator Jim Burgin, Magayo Harrison (CRH, RN UE150), Jessica Gazso (CRH, Pharmacy UE150 Chapter Chief Steward), Karina Hernandez (CRH, Social Work UE150), Jerome Harrison (CRH, Healthcare Tech), Rep. Hugh Blackwell, Rakesh Patel (CRH, UE150 Butner President) After almost two years of struggle, UE Local 150 won another critical victory, a salary increase from around $57,000 to $70,000 for Registered Nurses at North Carolina's three psychiatric hospitals, which are run by the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of State Operated Healthcare Facilities (DHHS-DSOHF). Nurses will also receive a $1,500 step raise every two years. The campaign was principally waged by union members at Central Regional Hospital (CRH) who had been meeting with the CRH CEO, DSOHF administrators, and state legislators in order to push for a raise for all staff for nearly two years. Workers also spoke out publicly to the news media. The UE150 DHHS Council collected nearly a thousand signatures on a petition, including a majority of workers at CRH in 2023. The petitions was delivered to DSOHF Deputy Director Mark Benton in a meeting in Raleigh in March 2024. Following the meeting, CRH workers documented three serious events that resulted in staff injuries due to dangerous understaffing. Union representatives met with DSOHF and state legislators, including Senator Jim Burgin, separately throughout the summer. In a rare move, state legislators responsible for DHHS oversight initiated a meeting with UE150, DSOHF Director Karen Burkes, and CRH CEO Robin Whalen in September 2024. At the meeting, Butner Chapter President Rakesh Patel pressed hard on the group of decision-makers for pay raises and management accountability, and also gave more documentation for 'sentinel events'. The raise was announced a few weeks later. Winning $13,000 raises and other improvements shows that worker organizing works. The UE150 will continue to build a Safe Staffing campaign to win raises for all DHHS workers, safe staffing levels, and more mechanisms to hold management accountable! This article was published first by UE Local 150 .

Left to right: Juan José Ceballos, Wendy Johnson, José Arturo Gonzalez Mendoza. Image credits: GoFundMe, Knotts Funeral Home, Casa Azul A coalition of North Carolina organizations celebrated Human Rights Day, internationally commemorated on December 10th, last month to call for basic protections for workers exposed to extreme temperatures on the job. The hosted three regional 'Heat and Human Rights' events on December 8th in Spring Hope, December 9th in Raleigh, and December 10th in Charlotte. NC Newsline and NC Health News provided coverage of the events. “Heat safety affects us all –  from the person growing our food, working in a warehouse, responding to our emergencies and maintaining our nation’s aging infrastructure. It is imperative that we as a society protect these workers and pass common sense legislation to ensure that they are protected from the effects of heat related illnesses,” said Joel Bryan, Raleigh City Workers Union, UE Local 150 steward in the city's Utilities Department. Farmworkers Abel and Pedro live in Wilson and Nash counties and work under the H-2A visa program. Reflecting on their dangerous working conditions, they said, “There are many complications with our body where we can lose our life, we must have breaks in high temperatures and be able to drink clean water and our employers must be responsible for our health and safety on the job. … It is hard working in the fields, some of us are scared to speak up because of the abuses and the threats on the growers, but if we do not speak up we will never change things. Every time we speak up we are participating in a battle that will take us closer to peace and justice!” “No one should die because their employer failed to do what is necessary to save their life from known and preventable hazards, including extreme heat. And it is the duty of the Department of Labor to see to it that never happens,” said NC State AFL-CIO President MaryBe McMillan. In July 2023, 33 year-old Juan José Ceballos died after suffering a heat stroke in Wayne County where he was working as a migrant farmworker. Months later, on September 5th, José Arturo Gonzalez Mendoza died while working in the heat. He was 30 years old. And in the summer of 2024, a 51 year-old U.S. postal worker named Wednesday “Wendy” Johnson died in Fayetteville. She died after spending several hours in a hot mail truck. Workers and advocates are urging the finalization of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed standards for heat illness and injury prevention. The standards would require several interventions by employers to protect workers from heat including developing and implementing a work site Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Plan (HIIPP). This type of plan would include site-specific information to evaluate and control heat hazards in their workplace, identify heat hazards in both outdoor and indoor work sites, and implement control measures above the initial trigger of a 80°F heat index. The new standards would apply to all employers conducting outdoor and indoor work in all general industry, construction, maritime, and agriculture sectors where OSHA has jurisdiction. The rule can’t come a moment too soon. Recent years have seen record-setting heat and scientists predict that temperatures will only continue to rise. In January 2024, a NOAA publication reported that 2023 was the warmest year since global records began in 1850. Recent data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reported a total of 14 deaths due to heat in the state from June 2023 to September 2024. NCDHHS also reported an average of approximately 4,000 emergency department visits for heat related incidents from May 1st through September 30th, a period considered ‘heat season’. Though such incidents occur across the population, people who work outdoors are at substantially greater risk. In North Carolina there are no explicit employee safety laws related to temperature and heat. According to the North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL), employers operate under the General Duty Clause which states, “Each employer shall furnish to each of his employee’s conditions of employment and a place of employment free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious injury or serious physical harm to his employees.” Labor and health advocates maintain that this clause is insufficient to protect workers. Our groups have asked to meet with the incoming labor commissioner, Luke Farley, in January to discuss plans to protect workers from heat. The following organizations work in coalition to support environment, agriculture, and labor rights in North Carolina. The Heat and Human Rights event series are hosted by: Toxic Free NC (TFNC), El Futuro Es Nuestro (It’s Our Future), The Farmworker Advocacy Network (FAN), Hispanic Federation (HF), NC Public Service Workers Union (UE Local 150) North Carolina Environmental Justice Network (NCEJN), North Carolina Justice Center and The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). This article was first published by NCEJN .

Rendering of main building at 'cop city' . Image credit: DCSO Durham Stop Cop City and other groups held events on New Years Eve and January 4th protesting the county jail and the Durham County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) $18 million plan to expand a training facility on Electra Road. The People’s Alliance (PA), one of Durham’s political machines, released a statement on January 2nd that supported partial concessions to the activists.   The series of events flowed from a November 12th protest when around 30 people with organizations such as Durham Beyond Policing interrupted the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to oppose the sheriff’s training facility. In response, board chair Nida Allam delayed discussion of the issue to a work session on January 6th. There was little public awareness of ‘cop city’ before the November 12th protest. There wasn’t a single newspaper article about the $18 million project prior to that date.   NYE Event   Durham Stop Cop City, Triangle Radical Events, and three other organizations released a collaborative post about a New Years Eve protest at the Durham County jail [ 1 ]. The activists can be seen beaming slogans onto the detention facility walls with a powerful projector. Three of the slogans were:   Stop cop cities everywhere Fight until every prison is empty Dream until every golf course is a sex forest   The organizers of the News Years Eve action said, “Let’s give a warm reminder to the people locked away we have not forgotten them, and a reminder to their cagers we have also not forgotten them.   The county of Durham, which runs the jail, is currently proposing a $16 million expansion to their police training center, another cop city. We say no to the expansion, no to the original training center, and no to the jail!” [ 2 ]   Expanding the DCSO training facility would have a total cost of $18 million, according to the News and Observer . The county commission are weighing approval of $16.6 million. The rest of the money is already spent [ 3 ].   The New Years Eve action builds on years of protests against the jail, located in downtown Durham, which has been criticized for its high number of custodial deaths. Eleven people have died at the detention facility since 2015. Year Names 2015 Raphael Bennett [ 4 ], Dennis McMurray [ 4 ] 2016 Matthew McCain [ 4 ] 2017 Uniece Fennell [ 4 ], James Staton Jr. [ 4 ] 2018 Jean McGirt [ 5 ], Deshawn Evans [ 6 ] 2019 2020 Darrell Kersey [ 7 ] 2021 Brittany Kittrell [ 8 ], Joseph Hunter [ 9 ] 2022 Erick Cano-Castellanos [ 10 ] 2023 2024   People’s Alliance Statement   On January 2nd, the PA released a statement that it would be “premature” to approve the $18 million project without first expanding the HEART program to Durham County and Durham Public Schools (DPS) [ 11 ]. Established by city government in 2022, HEART sends unarmed social work specialists to some 911 calls.   All current BOCC members, including three newcomers, were endorsed by the political machine in 2024. Allam and Wendy Jacobs, leading figures in the PA faction of Durham politics, are the board’s only returning members. Either all or most county commissioners seem likely to vote in favor of the sheriff's training facility. No previous or current BOCC member has publicly opposed the project.   Saturday in Central Park   Durham Beyond Policing, Somos Durham, and other groups held a press conference and rally against the $18 million project on January 4th. Around 60 people gathered in Central Park on Saturday to listen to speeches warning against building a ‘cop city’ in Durham.   “How many of my friends could have avoided the traps of over-policing and the devastating legacy of the war on drugs,” said Brandon Love, “The war on everything that’s not elite, wealthy, and the so-called American dream” [ 12 ].   He also said, “Today we are asking [BOCC] to vote ‘no’ on investing nearly $20 million of the people’s money on a planned renovation of the sheriff’s training facility here in Durham.” The crowd in Central Park cheered appreciatively when Love closed his remarks with a call for HEART expansion to Durham County and DPS. Quinny Sanchez Lopez from Somos Durham connected the DSCO training facility with the threat of HB10, a newly passed state law, to communities with undocumented people. Lopez said, "With our North Carolina General Assembly, they require sheriff departments to collaborate with ICE so that when an immigrant is detained they will go through ICE detention and they're at risk of being separated from their families. So when we're here in Durham County and they're saying we need to fund more training for the sheriffs, we need to fund a training facility, that to me as an immigrant poses a risk." According to ACLU North Carolina, HB10 forces sheriffs inform ICE if they can't determine the immigration status of people charged with "some felony offenses, 50B violations, and certain A1 misdemeanors". The new state law also requires sheriffs to detain people suspected of being undocumented for 48 hours if requested by ICE [ 13 ].   BOCC Work Session   On January 6th, the BOCC revisited the $18 million project. The sheriff's training facility was the main focus of the 30-minute public comment at the start of Monday’s meeting.   A public comment was made by Dr. Jennifer Carroll, an NC State assistant professor of medical anthropology, a former chair of the Durham County Community Safety & Wellness Task Force. In May 2024, according to Dr. Carroll, the BOCC asked the task force to prioritize steps to improve public safety. The group unanimously selected HEART expansion into Durham County and DPS as their top recommendation [ 14, timestamp 14:30 ].   Dr. Carroll continued, “The people of this city want that much more than any expanded training program for the sheriff … the sheriff has been the single largest obstructionist force in stopping the expansion of HEART into the county. He has refused after repeated asks of city and county leadership to provide call data … so that the types of call that they’re responding to can be meaningfully analyzed to assess needs in the community”.   Mike Sistrom, coordinator of the Jail Ministry of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, also spoke at Monday's meeting. He pointed out that discussion of the $18 million project should also focus on Durham County jail, which is run by the DCSO. Sistrom, former member of the county's Community Safety & Wellness Task Force, mentioned that the group's May 2024 report had recommended improvements to "conditions, programs, services, and policies" at the jail [ 16:30 ].   Sistrom said, “There is much less community awareness about and advocacy for the detainees of the jail than the HEART program. The jail, though, is the single largest department in the sheriff’s office and among the most unique law enforcement responsibilities of a sheriff. I’d argue that the commissioners are in a position urge the sheriff to engage on the jail issues, if not as a precondition to approving the training facility request, then at least in recognition for their support for it. Chair Allam has begun to try to set up that discussion on the jail and we’re grateful to her for that.”   The county commissioners discussed ‘cop city’ in the third hour of Monday’s meeting, beginning with a PowerPoint presentation by the DCSO [ 2:24:00 ]. In response to a request from Allam to share 911 call data, Sheriff Clarence Birkhead flatly contradicted Dr. Carroll. He claimed that the data had been shared with the Community Safety & Wellness Task Force years ago [ 2:44:00 ]. Later in the meeting, Birkhead also claimed to be a strong supporter of the HEART program aside from a long list of logistical reservations about expansion [ 2:59:00 ].   Allam asked County Manager Claudia Hager whether she could present a plan for HEART expansion at a work session in February or March [ 2:50:00 ]. Hager later promised next steps by March or April [ 3:17:00 ].   BOCC member Mike Lee said, “I don’t see this as a HEART program expansion or the training center, I see it as both”. Lee claimed he was asked to leave the January 4th protest against the sheriff's training facility and ended his remarks by denying any similarities between the Electra Road expansion and the notorious ‘cop city’ project in Atlanta [ 2:54:30 ].   Jacobs made it clear she was in favor of HEART expansion. She did not clearly state her position on the $18 million project but at several points spoke as though its passage were taken for granted. Jacobs said that HEART expansion would improve the county's mental health crisis and pointed out that more than half of detainees in the Durham County jail suffered from mental illnesses. Jacobs also noted that HEART expansion could help to guard immigrant communities against the legal impacts of HB10.   BOCC member Michelle Burton said she was in favor of HEART expansion and also supported the DCSO training facility. She framed her support for the $18 million project in terms of labor rights, since the existing site relies upon a portable toilet [ 3:38:00 ]. The issue of the portable toilet, brought up ad nauseam by proponents of 'cop city', evidently can't be solved by building a bathroom but requires a "new outdoor gun range and 10,000-square-foot classroom building with lockers and showers". According to the News and Observer , the county commission will vote next week on whether to approve the $18 million project [ 15 ]. Work Cited "Jan. 1 post." Instagram account of Triangle Radical Events and others , www.instagram.com/p/DETdkzDSXn2/ . "Dec. 20 post."  Instagram account of Durham Prison Letters and others , www.instagram.com/p/DDzjVuQRI_1/ . Moore, Mary Helen. “Group Protests $18M Durham Sheriff’s Office Training Facility, Linking It to ‘Cop City.’” News and Observer , 15 Nov. 2024, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article295464889.html . Bridges, Virginia, and Joe Johnson. “Demonstrators Stop Traffic in Downtown Durham to Protest Jail Deaths.” News and Observer , 8 Nov. 2017, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article183401176.html . Bridges, Virginia, and Dan Kane. “‘I Want Answers.’ Jail-death Probe Reveals Missed Checks for Sick Inmates.” News and Observer , 16 Feb. 2019, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article226196920.html . Schultz, Mark, and Virginia Bridges. “Fiancee, Family Want to Know How Man Died at Durham County Jail.” Durham Herald Sun , 29 May 2018, www.heraldsun.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article212035454.html . Bridges, Virginia. “Man Died After Catching COVID-19 in Durham Jail. Why Didn’t the County or State Say So?” News and Observer , 19 Oct. 2020, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article246496225.html . Hajela, Ashad, and Mark Schultz. “NC Finds No Deficiencies After Death of Woman Detained at Durham County Jail.” News and Observer , 29 Jan. 2021, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/crime/article248637390.html . Hajela, Ashad. “Man Who Died in Durham County Jail Was 35 Years Old, Sheriff’s Office Says.” News and Observer , 26 Apr. 2021, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article250901329.html . Sánchez-Guerra, Aaron. “Durham Jail Detainee Who Died in Hospital Had Attempted Suicide, Sheriff’s Office Says.” News and Observer , 8 Aug. 2022, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/crime/article263227543.html . “PA Statement for HEART Expansion and 911 Consolidation.” People’s Alliance , 2 Jan. 2025, www.durhampa.org/pa_statement . "Jan. 4 post."  Instagram account of Durham Beyond Policing ,   www.instagram.com/p/DEa0BQTTb0L/ . “HB 10: Require Sheriffs to Cooperate With I.C.E.” ACLU of North Carolina , 20 Nov. 2024, www.acluofnorthcarolina.org/en/legislation/hb-10-require-sheriffs-cooperate-ice . “Durham BOCC Work Session Jan 6th, 2025.” YouTube account of Durham County , 6 Jan. 2025, www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_l-VcPsSeI . Moore, Mary Helen. “$16M for Durham Sheriff’s Office Training Facility Is Going to a Vote. Here’s When.” News and Observer , 6 Jan. 2025, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article298053403.html .

Image credit: Duke Energy (left) and Wikimedia Commons (right) The town of Carrboro sued Duke Energy Corp. on December 4th for the company’s decades-long role leading a nationwide climate deception scheme that has worsened the climate crisis, harmed the community and cost the town millions of dollars [ 1 ]. The lawsuit seeks to hold Duke Energy accountable for the damages inflicted on Carrboro by the corporation’s campaign to delay the transition from planet-heating fossil fuels to renewable energy. This lawsuit is the first to challenge an electric utility for knowingly deceiving the public about the dangers of fossil fuels. “We have to speak truth to power as we continue to fight the existential threat that is climate change. The climate crisis continues to burden our community and cost residents their hard-earned tax dollars,” said Carrboro Mayor Barbara Foushee. “Duke Energy’s knowledge of the environmental injustice being caused by the use of fossil fuels has unfairly plagued our community for decades. Historically underserved and marginalized communities are facing disproportionate impacts and health risks that are associated with climate change. This was not an easy decision to make but I believe that we must be courageous as we call out these injustices and seek change and accountability.” The lawsuit says Duke Energy’s top executives have known for more than 50 years about the risks from fossil fuels but have been ringleaders of a widespread campaign to mislead the public about its climate harms and increase reliance on coal and gas for electricity. Carrboro has been working to fight climate chaos and environmental injustice for years, including developing community-based solar programs, implementing climate resilience measures for low-income residents and small businesses, and funding nature-based solutions for stormwater management. “This lawsuit represents an incredible opportunity to put an end to corporate deception and enter a new era for Carrboro,” said Mayor Pro Tem Danny Nowell. “It’s time for us to hold Duke Energy accountable for decades of deception, padding executives’ pockets while towns like ours worked to mitigate the harmful effects of climate change. This suit will allow the Town of Carrboro to invest new resources into building a stronger, more climate-resilient community, using the damages justly due to our residents to reimagine the ways we prepare for our climate reality.” Duke Energy, the third largest-polluting corporation in the U.S., has worked with industry front groups and PR firms to deceive the public about the science of climate change and block action to combat it, causing Carrboro and its residents significant harm, the lawsuit said. “The Carrboro community has worked for over five decades to protect, conserve and preserve the environment, the ecosystems and the wellbeing of its citizens,” said Council Member Randee Haven-O’Donnell. “Carrboro is a strong, vibrant community, and Duke Energy needs to be held accountable for the deception and damages it’s caused and continues to cause. Duke Energy’s deceptive public campaign erases the progress we strive for to address climate change. We’re the little engine that could, and we hope other towns can be, too, and hold their polluting utilities accountable. In Carrboro, we’re standing up to be the change we want to see in the world.” Fossil fuel-driven climate change has battered Carrboro, like the rest of the country, with more frequent and severe storms and flooding, and record-high temperatures. The death and destruction across the region from Hurricane Helene are the latest examples of the worsening climate crisis. The Town of Carrboro is on the hook for millions of dollars in repairs to roads, rising energy bills and other infrastructure costs to adapt to and mitigate the harms from climate change. Duke Energy is responsible for these damages because the massive utility knew its campaigns to obstruct climate change legislation and mislead the public would accelerate the climate crisis and worsen its impact on the town, the lawsuit said. “This lawsuit exposes Duke Energy executives as using the tobacco scandal playbook. They’re making the global climate crisis worse despite widespread and accelerating misery,” said Jim Warren, executive director of nonprofit NC WARN. “And they’re still expanding fossil fuels and suppressing renewables – in flat defiance of scientists demanding that we do the exact opposite. We need the judicial system to hold Duke Energy leadership accountable and finally break their corporate control over our political system and public decisions.” The lawsuit, filed in Orange County Superior Court in Hillsborough, said Duke Energy is damaging the Carrboro community by deceiving its customers and the broader public. Duke Energy denied the harms from climate change and now claims to be a clean energy leader while it builds more methane gas-burning power plants and suppresses solar and other renewable energy [ 2 ]. The utility chooses dirty energy to power homes and businesses but falsely promotes and advertises methane gas as a climate solution. “We’ll soon have a climate denier-in-chief in the White House, but Carrboro is a shining light in this darkness, taking on one of the country’s largest polluters and climate deceivers,” said Jean Su, energy justice director at the Center for Biological Diversity, which is advising on the case. “Climate action doesn’t stop at a national level, and Carrboro is holding Duke Energy and all fossil utilities’ feet to the fire. This town is paving a way for local governments to drive climate justice despite who’s in Washington.” Duke Energy provides electricity to 8.2 million monopoly-captured customers across six states, including nearly all of North Carolina as well as parts of South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. One of the largest electric power providers and among the largest corporate polluters in the world, the utility emitted roughly 80 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2021. These emissions were made possible by Duke Energy’s decades-long deception campaign. Eleven states and dozens of municipal and tribal governments across the country have filed lawsuits to hold major oil and gas companies accountable for deceiving the public about fossil fuels’ role in climate change. In October, Oregon’s Multnomah County, which includes Portland, added the regional gas provider NW Natural to its 2023 lawsuit against fossil fuel corporations for their role in the area’s fatal 2021 heat dome. NC WARN and the Center for Biological Diversity have created a website to share information about this lawsuit. Visit www.SueDukeEnergy.org to learn more and take action. This article was published first by NC WARN . Work Cited "Legal Climate Action" , Carrboro NC . www.carrboronc.gov/3114/Legal-Climate-Action . “Duke Energy Knew About Climate Change in the 1980s.” Energy and Policy Institute , 17 Dec. 2024, https://energyandpolicy.org/duke-energy-knew-climate-change .

Image credit: Instagram page of CAUSE On December 23rd, worker-activists at the giant RDU1 warehouse in Garner, North Carolina filed a petition with National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) requesting an election to become the first unionized Amazon facility in the South, and only the second in the United States. The worker-led Carolina Amazonians for Solidarity and Empowerment (CAUSE) launched a massively successful campaign this fall to collect union authorization cards. The NLRB will hold an election once 30 percent of RDU1 workers have signed a card. Amazon has refused to disclose the number of employees at the facility, but CAUSE leaders believe they have easily exceeded the 30 percent threshold of authorization cards. Workers have signed in big numbers despite an illegal campaign of intimidation by Amazon, which is desperate to keep unions out to continue paying poverty wages and failing to improve dismal work conditions. The trillion dollar company has fired three union activists this year, including CAUSE president Reverend Ryan Brown, and engaged in illegal intimidation, harassment, and surveillance of RDU1 workers [ 1 ]. Amazon called the Garner police three weeks ago to arrest three CAUSE activists providing workers with information and free food three weeks ago. CAUSE has been working for three years to organize a union at RDU1. "We're tired of being treated like we are fungible, being disrespected, and struggling to put food on the table," said Mary Hill, CAUSE co-founder and vice-president. Even after a recent pay raise, RDU1 workers start at just $18 an hour. Pay is capped at $20.90 no matter how many years a worker has been employed. That's less than half what MIT economists estimate as a living wage of about $42 an hour for an adult with a child in the Raleigh-Cary area [ 2 ]. Many RDU1 employees work 60 hour weeks and need second jobs to get by. Workers receive just one paid half-hour break in a ten-and-half-hour day. They can be fired for failing to meet Amazon's algorithmically-driven scan rates. There is no trained medical staff on site despite an injury rate more than 70 percent higher than at non-Amazon warehouses [ 3, pg. 7 ]. "Amazon prioritizes profit over everything else, especially the well-being of workers," said CAUSE president Brown, who worked at RDU1 for three years before being fired by Amazon on December 3rd. "We all appreciate Amazon's fast delivery, but it shouldn't come at the cost of human suffering." RDU1 management has posted anti-union materials around the warehouse and used "captive audience" meetings where managers make workers listen to pro-Amazon, anti-union propaganda. Yet, worker enthusiasm for the union remains strong as evidenced by how many have have signed authorization cards. CAUSE expects the NLRB to make an announcement soon about the election. "Nothing moves without us," says Mary Hill, the CAUSE co-founder. "We're going to win the election. It's time." Know Your Rights It is illegal for Amazon to even try to find out who has signed a union authorization card. In 2023, the NLRB's Cemex decision increased punishment for companies that commit unfair labor practices, like retaliation or intimidation, during union organizing. There are rumors that loss prevention said we aren’t allowed to do union activity on the property. That is not true. Employees have the right to share union newsletters and get cards signed as long as we are in the break rooms or parking lot and during break time or between shifts, according to Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act. On December 6th, RDU1 ordered the arrest of people giving out food and union newsletters on the property. Two people they arrested were volunteers and one was a former employee. They were dropping off food to help current employees collect union authorization cards. Current employees were not arrested. But we ask, what is the difference between UberEats deliveries and our friends dropping off food for the union to give out for free? We are working mandatory overtime and needed the help of our friends. When you pull into RDU1, the sign says “Amazon fulfillment, visitors and associates”. Now Amazon is checking badges for us to get in the parking lot! Don’t quit… organize to make it better! These materials were first published by CAUSE. The first section is a press release from December 23rd, and the second section is from a December issue of the CAUSE newsletter . Work Cited Gordon, Brian. “Head of Union Campaign at NC Amazon Warehouse Fired, Claims Unfair Termination.” News and Observer , 13 Dec. 2024, www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article296862394.html MIT Living Wage Calculator for Raleigh-Cary, NC . https://livingwage.mit.edu/metros/39580 " In Denial: Amazon's Continuing Failure to Fix Its Injury Crisis." Strategic Organizing Center , Apr. 2023, https://warehouseworkers.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/SOC_In-Denial_Amazon-Injury-Report-April-2023.pdf